It is now somewhat clear that individuals venturing into the social entrepreneurship scope are doing so with a legitimate objective and mission to create a better life for others and to also reduce the social injustice and hardship the helpless, oppressed and discriminated against face every day.
In my time as a GHC fellow so far, I have come to learn and understand the philosophy of GHC as more of a “Charity begins at home” perspective. My understanding is that, before going out there, for lack of a better phrase, to try and save the world, a GHC fellow should first look back home, which is the GHC community and see how they can help the people in it first.
How would one help their co-fellow(s) or any of the GHC alumni in time of need? How would a fellow sympathise with a situation of another and how much of their self could they put in the crossfire to shield their friend from danger or to assist them to get out of an unfortunate situation, to be there for them in their time of need regardless of their previous relationship with them, but rather approach them as a fellow human being and GHC fellow (past or present) who needs whatever support or presence they can get at that particular time?
From the time “social justice” was coined by Luigi Taparelli D’Azeglio in the late 1800s, it is still clear that no matter how the phrase has varied in meaning, it still points to the conception of fair treatment and compassion on all levels either for two individuals, a group or a much larger scale. Therefore it is important as fellows and alumni to think about this from the ground level upward instead of diving straight into the middle, making all other preceding stages per se void or irrelevant.
By default we should treat each other with fairness and practice social justice in this community. Let’s think of the Global Health Corps community as a small country with all the success and problems of the real word, and then we can understand how to conduct ourselves better and provide a helping hand and a shoulder to lean on for those that depend on us, hence giving a sense of relief, security and trust for the potential future GHC fellows who will know that they can get immense support and help from their fellowship class and the GHC community in general.
As a community with a rich array of diverse cultural backgrounds, different spiritual beliefs and moral makeups, the great thing is that we are all bound together by solidarity. It is nevertheless very difficult to agree on ideologies and philosophies we share and also to accommodate each other’s interests. However, it is very important to accommodate the other person and appreciate their unique thought process. It is also important to fathom how diverse the situation is and how lucky we are to be among people with so many different attributes and entities.
In this Family of great individuals, we might argue or fail get along well, but in the event that any of our friends are in need of help or a situation with which they can’t help themselves, let us give the best we can. The success of this community will highly depend on how fellows and alumni are able to provide aid, concern, contribution and help in the best way they can, weather many kilometres away, on the other side of the world or right next to each other.
Coming back to my post title ” Is GHC a Community of Solidarity and Social Justice within Itself?” from my vantage point, yes it is, definitely.
I appreciate this picture because it proceeds a great tale of solidarity and being there for each other at a time of greatest need.
